Shayamoya Tiger Fishing and Game Lodge

Absolutely perfect. Great view, clean chalets, great food, excellent & friendly staff. Most perfect fishing day trip & great game drive. All just perfect. Roy is a great asset as staff member as he really made us feel special. Maxwell on fishing trip with kids was just amazing. Thanks Lindy, to you & your team. Can't wait to be back.

Shayamoya Tiger Fishing and Game Lodge is an amazing and relaxing natural environment for nature lovers. The Lodges have a stunning view of Jozini dam, the staff are welcoming with gorgeous smiles and offer superb assistance and service. Make every effort to go Tiger Fishing under the guidance of Maxwell - an outstanding gentleman - you will not be disappointed in your adventure! The restaurant meals are especially delicious - I would highly recommend the ******* potjie dish - when you savour the taste - it is like fairies dancing on your taste buds!! A beautiful and relaxing environment and well worth a visit. We shall definitely be back :)

Beautiful place, so peaceful. Rooms are rustic but very comfortable, loved the outdoor shower. Lots of birdlife all around. There was chance to socialise with a few sundowners at the bar/restaurant or just sit on the comfy chairs, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the incredible views.

Shayamoga is located in a beautiful spot. Everybody is really nice. Our family room was really big. We did a boat cruise tour with them at sunset, and it was very beautiful 😍

We stayed in a standard room, although judging by the high spec of everything in it , there would be little need to upgrade. The room itself was certainly spacious enough, erected in the African rondavel style, with a decked viewing platform outside it overlooked the spectacular Phongola river/lake and the Lembomba mountain range. Utterly breathtaking. so much so, that my partner shed a tear on first arriving ! The rooms were spotless, with nice little touches like the kettle always being refilled by housekeeping. Beautiful large bathroom with quality fittings and and wonderful outside shower made our stay feel even more unique. The bar and restaurant have the same fantastic view over the lake and mountains, with a good selection of wines, beers and spirits. The service throughout our stay was excellent, friendly and attentive with nothing being too much trouble. After travelling from Kruger we took advantage of the laundry service at Shayamoya and it was incredibly fast.....and cheap ! Special mention goes to Miriam who was delightful and virtually omnl present during our visit even performing the massage my partner booked (apparently the best she's had)!. We booked a river cruise and the guide., "Lucky" , took us out at 8am, he was extremely knowledgeable, passionate and great fun. His passion for the environment is obvious and infectious, we saw a great deal and I highly recommend it. One last mention should go to the gardening team, the grounds are like a botanical gardens, stunning! So if you are planning to be in the Pongola area then I would heartily recommend Shayamoya.

The chalets were dirty. Bath mats (which we found when we checked in) and toilets were dirty as well. In one chalet the toilet had a really bad smell. We found jeyes fluid which had been provided, I suppose for the smell. I demanded that the chalets we’d booked be cleaned again. We were not given an entrance code for the gate prior to our arrival. There was no guard at the gate and the area has no cellphone signal so we couldn’t call the lodge. We had to drive past the gate for just over a km to get signal. Only then were we given the entrance code. The car used for the game drive was filthy and very old. Thankfully I’d brought a wet towel to wipe the seats. There was no sanitiser provided. The staff at the lodge and all guests we came across weren’t wearing masks. My family and I were the only ones wearing them. Cold breakfast and the coffee station were self service. Again, no hand sanitiser provided. Clearly COVID is not considered an issue. When I requested room service, I was told I had to collect the food myself from the restaurant because they were short-staffed. I had no choice but to do so. The lodge is not well maintained, The grass is overgrown. There’s a lot I hated about the place. Also, contrary to what was advertised, there was no Wi-Fi in the chalets. At least not in the two we’d booked. I have pictures and videos to prove all the above. On the positive- we enjoyed the game drive despite being transported in a dirty, run down vehicle. We liked the scenic views and saw a lot of animals. The food was really good.